SCC-CIVIC-PG Track A: A GIS-Based Digital Platform for Promoting Sustainable, Equitable, and Resilient Access to Healthy Foods in Response to Natural Disasters

University Of South Florida, Tampa FL

Investigators

Abstract

Food security has been increasingly threatened by poor crop production, high food prices, and supply chain failures. There is an urgent need to improve food security in the aftermath of natural disasters, such as flooding, hurricane, and drought. The common food bank approach for hunger relief and disaster response is far from being sustainable and equitable due to its limited nutritious options, reactive operations, and logistical barriers. This CIVIC project aims to create and validate a Geographic Information System (GIS)-based digital platform that not only promotes sustainable and equitable access to healthy foods but also is resilient to natural disasters and supply chain disruptions in the face of a changing climate. Specifically, the platform will help the communities by providing a robust solution to healthy food access. The project will make special consideration of socially vulnerable populations by increasing their food access during crises. Priority and reimbursement are given to economically disadvantaged households; volunteer riders are assigned to help with food delivery for people with limited mobility. Moreover, the platform has the potential to be transferred to and scaled up in other cities or regions since the marginal cost is low. The goal of this project is to improve food security during natural disasters by developing a GIS-based, decentralized digital platform with special consideration for socially vulnerable populations. It focuses on conducting a pilot study in the Tampa Bay Area and adopting the sharing economy business model to connect consumers directly with local food growers. The platform builds a map interface to collect and share essential information with the community, integrates GIS to identify the most vulnerable neighborhoods, and matches them with food supplies. It implements a dedicated emergency mode to mitigate food insecurity, inaccessibility, and inequity. The platform, once finished, can crowdsource real-time data via a map interface; spatially match the food demand and supply; optimize the location and route choices for the food delivery; enable hassle-free food purchase for everyone and reimbursement for people in need; switch to an emergency mode to meet the surged demand. This project is in response to the Civic Innovation Challenge program—Track A. Living in a changing climate: pre-disaster action around adaptation, resilience, and mitigation—and is a collaboration between NSF, the Department of Homeland Security, and the Department of Energy. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.